Best Facts About Earthquakes Video for Kids

Facts about Earthquakes

Earthquakes are natural events that involve the powerful movement of rocks in the Earth’s crust. It starts underground at a point called focus or hypocentre. It is the initial point of the rupture. The point on the earth’s surface just above the focus is known as the epicenter. An earthquake is usually caused by geological faults but sometimes can be caused by landslides, nuclear experiments etc. Ancient Greeks believed that Poseidon, the god of the sea causes earthquakes whenever he is angry. Approximately 8,000 people are killed by earthquakes each year.

Quick Facts: –

Some other catastrophic events like landslides, tsunami, flood etc. can be caused by a powerful earthquake.

An average earthquake usually lasts around one minute.

The largest earthquake that has ever happened was of a magnitude 9.5 occurred in Chile in 1960.

Approximately 90% of the world’s earthquakes occur in the Ring of Fire, an area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean that resembles the shape of a horseshoe.

Parts of the Mississippi River were caused to flow backward by an earthquake that occurred On December 16, 1811.

The deadliest ever earthquake took place in China in 1556 and killed about 830,000 people.

Sometimes gravitational pull of sun and moon can also cause earthquakes.

A series of tsunamis was triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean that occurred on December 26, 2004.

This earthquake generated enough power to provide 100% power supply to all the business and domestic units throughout the United States for 3 days.

The fastest wave and the first to arrive at a given location is called the P wave or compressional wave.